My coop and hello

[corvettedan22]

Hello my name is Dan and I just joined.

I have been searching this site and you tube a lot.

I almost purchased a tiny $200 coop on eBay, but decided to build myself a coop. I did it for about $200 but I had some supplies laying around. It's 4x10 and should last forever. I didn't paint it yet. It's made of pressure treated wood. I built pvc water and food suppliers. It's caged on all four sides so animals can not get in. Even though it appears an animal can get in from the front i put bricks in place and I am going to put some extra fence going into the ground for added protection. It's not perfect but I think it's good enough. I do plan to let them free range, and hopefully keep them friendly.

Tonight I picked up my 3 hens. Very exiting. One is sleeping inside on the perch. One is sleeping inside on the wood shavings, and the other is sleeping out side.

 

[corvettedan22]

 

[Pork Pie]

Hi Dan and welcome to BYC. Looks like you've done a good job and its most certainly better than any coop that you can buy!

Best wishes
Ct

 

[corvettedan22]

Thank you. So from my research chickens need ventilation . That's my only concern. I do not have plywood on the roof. Just the corrugated roofing. The front has a foam gasket with holes for ventilation. The back of the roof does not have a gasket and is more opened. Plus I have the door opened . My thought was that the roof and door would be sufficient to vent, but I'm not entirely sure..

 

[TerryH]

Thank you. So from my research chickens need ventilation . That's my only concern. I do not have plywood on the roof. Just the corrugated roofing. The front has a foam gasket with holes for ventilation. The back of the roof does not have a gasket and is more opened. Plus I have the door opened . My thought was that the roof and door would be sufficient to vent, but I'm not entirely sure..

I'm assuming that you aren't planning on leaving the door open year round? You will need more ventilation when the door is closed. 1 sq.ft. of permanent ventilation per chcken is a good rule of thumb. That permanent ventilation needs to be situatedso there is not a draft directly on the chickens expecially when they are roosting. It appears that might be difficult with your current design.

 

[Adrian Medlicot]

Nicely done, also it was a good idea that you build a coop yourself than on ebay, its also less expensive and you can make the design you want. Good luck with your chickens!

 

[Howard E]

Is the run enclosed with wire on top? If not, you might consider running the roofing all the way over to top. They will get enough sun and will appreciate the shade most of the time. Birds seem funny about that. If in the sun, they seem to want shade. If in the shade, they will seek out patches of sunshine. But an additional feature of the roof on the run is to keep the run dryer. Without a roof to shed rain, the run can turn into a truly awful mudhole.

On the wire bottoms, you don't have to bury it in the ground. You can make an apron from your wire and lay it on the ground horizontal, with a short L tacked to the side of your coop and run. Serves the same purpose and is easier to do than digging in the dirt to bury wire.

X2 what Terry suggested on the ventilation. Dry is warm (although it is July, winter is coming) and well ventilated is dry. A coop that lacks light and ventilation is dark, damp and dreary. Not a place I'd want to spend the winter. Also, with a roof on the run, you can block off the back wall of the run to enclose it on two or even three sides, with the open side facing south to the winter sun. That would be a nice place for them to hang in winter.

On the topic of free range......in an enclosed yard? If not, is the yard open to woods and such where predators can enter? Is so and it is open, and predators can enter, be prepared to loose them all if they are running around free. Just saying.

 

[kgb6days]

Very nicely done! and MUCH better than the one you would have gotten off of eBay. Welcome to BYC

 

[corvettedan22]

Thanks for all the information.

The run is enclosed on the top and bottom. I will definitely consider adding roof panels all the way across if I feel it gets to muddy. Good tip.

I will probably add some *more ventilation to the coop and I'm aware of the free range risks and possible loss. I'll kinda see how this goes and adjust from there.

On a good note they found the watering nipples !!

 

[aart]

Thank you. So from my research chickens need ventilation . That's my only concern. I do not have plywood on the roof. Just the corrugated roofing. The front has a foam gasket with holes for ventilation. The back of the roof does not have a gasket and is more opened. Plus I have the door opened . My thought was that the roof and door would be sufficient to vent, but I'm not entirely sure..

Do you mean the pop door...where the chickens go from coop to run??

I'd take the gasket out.

How much snow do you get there....any plans on dealing with that??